u/bookish_cat_

I have PMDD, OCD, panic, and generally bad anxiety. I was on Zoloft and Lamictal years ago which was fine, but any increase in Zoloft made me feel so internally agitated. I hated it.

I took a very small dose of Zoloft again last year and I felt so uncomfortably “activated.” I didn’t like it and it aggravated an electrical issue with my heart. Does Prozac similarly cause feelings of activation or internal agitation at first? I truly hate that feeling, but trying to find a treatment that is safe for electrical heart issues.

I have been working from home for several years and have adopted the sweatpants as my daily uniform. Coupled with PMDD where I completely give up on things, I can struggle with feeling and looking put-together.

What daily things do you do to feel and look more put-together or polished, especially if you WFH? I’ve got to get out more!

I have intermittent LBBB (that was worsened by Zoloft and prompted its being discontinued) as well as second degree AV blocks and non-sustained atrial tachycardia episodes. My heart is structurally normal. I am frequently under a lot of stress and deal with rather severe anxiety issues.

I am beginning to wonder if anxiety could be causing the paroxysmal AV blocks or SVT episodes. I understand and have experienced cardiac changes due to certain medications, but I am wondering if medication that ultimately helps me to manage stress better could actually improve my electrical issues?

My first doses made me feel a little dizzy/out of it, but okay otherwise. The first week was thankfully mostly uneventful. Now I’m on day 9 and I feel slightly flu-like. I’m mostly tired and feel a little off. I just want to lay in bed.

Has anyone’s symptoms changed like this during treatment?

It is both fascinating and appalling to me how humans can justify the killing of babies in the womb. I came across a post from someone who is pregnant and struggling and most of the comments were encouraging her to have an abortion.

One comment in particular stated that “abortion is morally neutral.” That was it; end of story. On what basis? What other things in life would be similarly categorized? It wasn’t questioned, only repeatedly upvoted (I’m sure comments would have been deleted/banned if in opposition).

I truly believe that people repeat the same opinions as fact in their minds in order to make these appalling situations more palatable. It’s like a mantra. The more you say that abortion is healthcare, safe, morally neutral, etc. the more you’re primed to believe it, I suppose.

I’m a cradle Catholic, and a poorly catechized one at that. When I became an adult, however, I learned so much and appreciated the faith much more. I fell away from the Church for a long time but am now back.

I have had really wonderful experiences. I had moments of great consolation during my retreats at Benedictine monasteries. I truly felt the depth of our faith, and it was amazing. I loved participating in the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius and spending time with incredible nuns. I love reading books on the faith as well as listening to videos/podcasts that strengthen my faith.

My experiences with various parishes, overall, have been less than ideal, though. I know the point is not a social event. I truly do. However, it is more the norm for NO ONE to acknowledge me, let alone share a smile before, during, or after Mass. The majority of parishes I’ve been to in the US have been quite cold and lonely. I had a good experience with one parish, and a second one was okay, but the others have been such cold, unwelcoming places. I really do think there is some sort of cultural thing going on here.

I’m a friendly person, and I know I can always start conversations or social groups. I also understand that the point of Mass is the Eucharist, not a social event. That’s not what I’m looking for, though. I know I can’t be the only one here who has felt a coldness in parishes. I wonder what causes it.

Anyway, I’m struggling a bit because I think right now the ideas of Catholicism are more appealing to me than actual experiences with various parishes. I’ve had great experiences outside of the community aspect of Mass — monasteries, books, talks, personal prayer. The level of depth I experienced in the doesn’t just hasn’t translated to most parishes I’ve been to. It just makes me sad.

Yesterday I experienced much less bloating, but today (day 3) I am very bloated after eating trigger foods. I am eating a “normal” diet during treatment. Is it normal for bloating to fluctuate? Also, I notice I get pains (maybe from gas?) in my upper back, abdomen, etc after eating that come and go. Is that pretty typical of die-off? I’m not sure if I should eat lower FODMAPs due to the discomfort and bloating or if I should just power through.

Besides that, I will have some dizziness after taking the medication, but so far it actually felt like I was high and was almost calming, as weird as that sounds!

Is one recommended more than the other? For how long did you implement the diet?

I can’t take many medications since I have weird electrical issues with my heart, but apparently Buspar doesn’t have cardiac effects. Has anyone had success with it? I have debilitating anxiety, OCD spirals, and panic that have only gotten worse before my period.

Years ago I took 50 mg Zoloft, and then my psychiatrist wanted to increase it to 75 mg. I distinctly remember feeling like I wanted to rip my skin off (akathisia, I imagine) and an overall intense feeling of agitation. It did not feel good.

My doctor thought this “hypomanic reaction” could indicate underlying bipolar disorder, which then led to typing Seroquel and later Lamictal in conjunction with the lower dose of Zoloft.

I have been off medications for many years now, but, frankly, couldn’t the reaction simply be from the medication itself, not an underlying condition that never reared its head until a medication untapped it? I even tried Zoloft again a few years later — for one day — and it felt highly activating and exacerbated my electrical issue with my heart. Once it was out of my system, everything went back to normal.

Thank you!

I’ve never dyed my hair before, but, boy, are the grays coming in. 😅 I always told myself I wouldn’t dye them, but midlife-crisising and thinking I’ll take the plunge.

I always feel so awkward at salons. Does it take a long time for several grays to be covered? Does the dye run off the next few days? I use my hands a lot and handle my child’s food, so I want to make sure it’s not on my hands (probably a weird concern, but I’ve never been through this before!). Do you need to wait a few days to wash your hair afterward?

Any tips for first timers?

New to ivermectin lotion and wondering if I should wash off any remaining residue in the morning? I imagine it’s gone by then but genuinely not sure if anything remains since I haven’t started it yet.

Thanks!

Aside from getting reflux under control, are there specific toothpastes and mouthwashes that help protect teeth from the acid damage? Thank you!

For the past 2 months I’ve dealt with severe GERD and major bloating. The bloating was so bad that it affected the electrical conduction of my heart, but it has since improved a little so it’s not affecting my heart like it was.

I have no idea what happened. One week I had what I thought was some mild abdominal pain and little appetite with constipation. I thought things got better, but then I developed a dry cough that didn’t let up for weeks. The burning was terrible. I cannot lay on my right side without my left shoulder area hurting afterward. I saw a GI doctor who wants to do an endoscopy, but I have to be cleared by my cardiologist first.

Ultrasounds have been negative as well as H. Pylori test. I’m waiting for SIBO test results now. By the middle to the end of the day my stomach is SO bloated, and I feel reflux in my throat. My ENT found swelling behind my vocal cords, so he diagnosed me with LPR, too.

I went gluten free 6 months ago, but the GERD and bloating started 4 months ago. I’m wondering if I screwed with my microbiome somehow. I don’t have celiac but saw improvement with psoriasis while eating GF, but I recently started to reintroduce gluten and honestly the GERD hasn’t been any worse, thankfully.

I’m waiting for a barium swallow, but in the meantime I keep losing weight. I am trying to eat as much as can, and I think I’m doing a decent job at it. However, I’m now 117 lbs at 5’9”.

Is anyone dealing with unwanted weight loss from this, too? I never appreciated how wonderful it is to just eat and enjoy eating until I’ve been through this!

I came across an awful story of a dental practice that was recently shut down due to unsanitary practices that exposed patients to potential HIV and hepatitis. I never doubted the cleanliness of instruments until I came across this recent story. I think I just assumed that instruments were new for each patient. 😅

Anyway, I have an upcoming cleaning/possible scaling, and I cannot keep the worry from my mind. I did ask the dental office whether instruments are sterilized between patients, and the front desk person said that they were, but logic does go out the window when it comes to anxiety. I don’t want to prevent myself from getting important care, but I am still scared.

Should individuals be worried about getting diseases from dental tools/equipment?